


Send Away the Ghosts That Haunt Me Now

by EllieBear



Category: Veronica Mars (Movie 2014), Veronica Mars (TV), Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: Movie AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-17
Updated: 2016-05-28
Packaged: 2018-06-08 22:38:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 20,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6876826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllieBear/pseuds/EllieBear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Something has happened to Logan.  Is he dead?  Is he alive?  It's up to Veronica to find out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. There's a skeleton, in everybody's closet

_"You found me Veronica!”_

_Lily shook her head and came out of the bushes on the Echolls property. It had been her idea to play hide-and-go-seek. For a group of teenagers, it was a little strange, but like all of Lily’s ideas, the gang grudgingly gave in and found themselves having fun._

_Veronica reached out and touched Lily’s head. There was blood dripping down her forehead. “You’re bleeding.” She said._

_Lilly raised her hand and pulled back a handful of blood. “Hmm. Must have scratched myself on the rose bushes.” She wiped her hand across her pep-squad uniform. “Now, go find Logan.”_

_“What about Duncan?”_

_“Duncan’s gone into hiding. You’ll never find him.” Lily scoffed. “Now go find Logan. He needs you to find him.”_

_Veronica looked at Lily again. The wound on her head was growing. “GO! You need to find him NOW!” Lily gasped at her friend, then spun around and ran towards the house._

_Veronica turned and felt the wind blow. The grass and foliage on the grounds started to dance. She looked up at the sun and a large cloud moved across, blocking the light._

_She spun around again to check out her surroundings. Somehow the trees had grown taller. A full, lush forest had sprung up from the grounds, with Veronica trapped inside._

_“Veronica.” The wind called. It sounded like Logan._

_“Logan!” She called, but there was no answer._

_“LOGAN!” She called again. Again, there was nothing but the sound of the trees blowing._

_She started to wander, through the trees, across logs and fallen twigs and leaves, until she came to a clearing. In the clearing, there was a small log cabin. It was the size of a playhouse. As she approached, the door seemed to get bigger, until it took up the entire wall of the structure. She paused before she turned the handle._

_“Logan?” she queried as she opened the door to go inside._

_Logan was there, curled up in a ball in the corner of the room. There was nothing else in the room except him. As he raised his head, she realized he wasn’t 16 years old anymore. He was a man. His face was covered in a thick beard and his soft brown hair had grown long._

_“I knew you would find me.” He smiled weakly. “I always knew you would find me.”_

_Veronica gasped. She felt like her heart was going to leap out of her chest. “You know that I will always come for you.”_

_“I will always find you.”_

_“No matter where you are.”_

_“I will always find you.”_

_“Always.”_

_“Always.”_

_“Always….”_

“Veronica! I’m here! Wake up!”

Veronica woke with a start. Piz was gently shaking her awake. “You found me. It’s ok. I’m safe.”

“What?”

“You were talking in your sleep. You must have been having a nightmare. You said you would always find me.”

Veronica felt ill. She sat up straight and tried to gather herself before addressing her fiancé. _I’m here. I’m in my room. I’m with Piz._ She repeated to herself in her head. Her heart was beating a mile a minute.

“Here! I’ll get you some water.” Piz said as he jumped out of bed and darted across the loft to their kitchen. Veronica watched him in his plaid pajamas reach the fridge and pull out a bottled water. He brought it to her and sat near her legs on the bed. She unscrewed the top with shaky hands and took a long drink.

“That bad, huh?”

Veronica nodded but kept silent. She didn’t trust her words right now. Piz leaned over and kissed her cheek. “That’s ok. We can cuddle until you fall asleep again.”

Veronica nodded again. She replaced the cap on her water and put it on the side table while Piz crawled into bed again. She lay down facing away from him, allowing him to wrap his flannelled body around her yoga pants and t-shirt.

Soon he was gently snoring again. But Veronica was awake. She glanced at the clock: 4:00 am. She closed her eyes and pretended to sleep, all the while asking herself why, after nine-years of not seeing him, not hearing from him, not being around him, was she suddenly dreaming about Logan Echolls again.


	2. I can think of one or two in my own room

  
Veronica was off her game. For the past few weeks, she had developed a routine of shutting herself off from the world, in the hopes of acing her Bar exams at the end of the month. But this morning, everything was wrong. Her highlighters seemed to not be the exact shade of yellow she needed. She was dropping papers. And worst of all, she found herself reading the same page in her textbook over and over and over again, without comprehending a word.

And so finally, at around Noon, she put on some jeans and a sweater, dug out her black boots, and decided to go for a long walk to clear her head.

Lily Logan Lily Logan Lily Logan…

Even her footsteps had words today. They seemed to beat out sounds from her brain. So she eventually just stopped walking and stood still on the sidewalk, taking in the world around her.

She realized when she stopped how far she had walked. Miles and miles had been covered across New York, and she now found herself somewhere near a shopping district she had never seen. There were funky little shops and stores, and a bohemian little coffee shop across the street. She decided to stop in the little bodega, grab a trashy magazine, and sit in the coffee shop for a few more hours. Piz said he wouldn’t be home from the radio station until later tonight, so there was really no point in going home to eat. She thought about hunting down a new little restaurant that she could enjoy alone…

And that’s when she saw it. On the shelf in the little grocery store. The headline was splashed across some trashy magazine; “Star Child AWOL and presumed Dead.” The face on the cover was Logan’s.

_No_.

“No.”

She reached for the magazine like it was on fire, holding her hand out to it gently, but not touching it, should she burst into flames along with it. She finally found the courage and held it close to her chest for a moment before flipping to the article inside.

“Logan Echolls, child of tragic film and stage stars Aaron and Lynn Echolls, was reported AWOL by his Naval Unit two weeks ago. Just days ago, the search for Lt. Echolls ended when they found his car at the bottom of a cliff, just minutes away from the Coronado Bridge; the place where his mother took her own life when he was just 17 years old. Lt. Echolls girlfriend, musician Bonnie Deville, is keeping a low profile, but her rep says that the singer is 'Heartbroken.' over the loss of her boyfriend. Balboa County Sheriff Dan Lamb says he considers this case an act of suicide and has closed any further investigation.”

She was sure she stopped breathing. He can’t be dead. Not suicide. Never that. The boy she knew had been down, but he would never let that stop him, He always found a way to get back up. It didn’t make sense.

She reached into her pocket and found a $20. She floated to the counter and paid for the magazine, not waiting for her change, then somehow made it outside again. She looked around. The world seemed the same. He can’t be dead. She looked above her. The sun still shone. The birds still flew. The world still turned. Logan Echolls can’t be dead. Because if he had died, those things would have stopped. She knew this as a fact.

She wound her way back home in a daze. When she walked in the door, she heard the answering machine click on. The sound of Piz’s voice filled the room.

“Hi! You have reached the home of Stosh Piznarski and Veronica Mars. Leave us a message and someone will return your call…at some point in the near to distant future.”

“Beep!”

“Ronnie! Ronnie! It’s me, Dick. Casablancas. I need to talk to you. Mac gave me your number. It’s about Logan. He’s in trouble and I need your help…”

Veronica lunged for the phone, knocking several things off the counter in the process.

“I’m here! I’m here Dick!!”

There was a pause as Dick realized the answering machine was no more. “Ronnie. Thank god. You’re the only one that can help me.”

“What happened? I just read about Logan? Why didn’t anyone tell me??”

Dick made a scoffing sound. “Pffttt. Really? Kind of thought that you didn’t want to hear about him ever again?”

Veronica got her back up. “Then why are you calling?”

Dick sighed. “Because. He’s not dead. And no one believes me. They think I’ve lost it.”

There was silence for a moment. Then Veronica spoke quietly. “I believe you.”

“Fuck. Thank you! I just need someone to believe me and help me find him. I talked to your dad and he said he doesn’t do investigating anymore.”

“Yeah. Since he and Alicia got married, he’s given it up to write crime novels. She’s happy he’s out of the line of fire, he’s happy to go fishing whenever he wants.”

“Well, I need someone to help me find him that can track him down. I talked to Mac and she ran a few searches on his credit cards but it came up blank. But she did find that he had taken out $50,000 the day before he disappeared from some offshore account.”

Veronica was quiet. The wheels in her head started turning. “Anything else?”

Dick got quiet again, trying to find the words. “Yeah. A few days ago, I came home at like, 2 am. There was this Mexican guy sitting on my doorstep. He said he had been waiting for me, handed me an envelope, then jumped on his motorcycle and took off.” He took a deep breath. “There was a note inside that said ‘Don’t worry. I’m fine.’ And that was it.”

Veronica shook her head. “You could have led with that piece of info, you know.”

“Yeah, well, I tried to show it to the Sheriff and he could care less. Said someone was fucking with me.”

“Did you show it to Carrie?” Veronica shot back.

Dick laughed. “Yeah. Right. She really couldn’t care less. She treated Logan like trash and then stomped on his heart. She’s just playing the role of the grieving girlfriend because it sells magazines.”

Veronica was silent. Her dream started to playback in her head.

I knew you would find me.

“Ok.” She said quietly, looking around the apartment. “I’ll do it. But you have to pay for my flight back to Neptune. And find me accommodations!”

“Whatever you want, Ronnie.” Agreed Dick enthusiastically. “Just get your butt back here and find our boy, okay.”

“Yeah. I’ll find him. Dead or alive, I’ll find him.”

 


	3. But I would like to introduce them both to you

“I’ll just be gone a few days.”

Piz sat on the edge of the bed, still in his work clothes, as Veronica motored around him, organizing things in a suitcase. Dick had called within an hour of his first call saying he could get her out of town on a midnight flight. She would arrive around 6 am and he would pick her up from the airport. Piz came home to Veronica stuffing pizza in her face while packing. He was still trying to make sense of the situation.

“But you have the Bar exam.”

“I’ll be back by then. Logan isn’t a criminal mastermind. If he’s alive, it won’t take me long to find him...”

“And if he’s not?”

Veronica paused, not looking at her boyfriend. “Then I’ll be home even sooner.”

Piz sighed. “What about he wedding? You haven’t even found a dress and it’s a month away.”

“We’re getting married at City Hall. With only our immediate family. I think I can find a white dress in time.”

Piz looked helpless. “What if I ask you not to do this?”

Veronica flipped her suitcase flap over and quickly zipped it. “Are you asking me not to do this?”

Piz looked her directly in the eye. She was in jeans, a striped t-shirt, and her boots were already on. “Maybe. What if you get hurt?”

Veronica rolled her eyes. “I’ll be fine. I can handle myself.”

“What if you can’t.”

She walked over to Piz and looked down. “You didn’t really know me when I had my P.I. license. We weren’t even together when I spent the summer with the FBI.. Trust me. I can handle myself.” With that, she turned and grabbed her bag off the bed with one big motion. It landed on the floor with a loud thunk.

“But that’s not you anymore.” He said, rising to approach her.

Veronica’s eyes narrowed. “Then who am I?”

Piz put his hand on her arm. “You are my fiancée. You are about to be New York’s smartest lawyer. There’s so much going on right now. I’m just worried about you.”

“Don’t be.” She kissed him blandly on the cheek. “I’ll be fine.”

With that, she pulled out the handle on her case, wheeled it to the door where her purse, laptop case, and leather jacket were waiting for her.

“Are you going to come down and wait for the taxi with me?” She asked in the doorway.

He shook his head.

Veronica sighed. “Ok. I’ll call you when I’m settled.” With that, she started through the door.

“I love y.....” The door closed in the middle of Piz’s words. Veronica hurried down the hall, enjoying the silence of the building in the evening.

 


	4. You'd shake their bony hands and so dispell the gloom

It was a rough night. Sleeping while flying was never easy, but with a boatload of nervous energy packed into her, it made sleep even more difficult for Veronica. She pulled out her laptop and tried studying her law notes, but she couldn’t concentrate.

By the time she saw Dick as she emerged from the airport terminal, she was starting to get manic. She couldn’t focus and it felt like her whole body was vibrating.

The big blond surfer held out a paper coffee cup and a pastry bag. “Welcome back to Neptune, Ronnie!” He said eagerly.

She dropped her bags and grabbed the coffee. Maybe not what her nerves needed, but god, did it smell good. “Thanks. How are you so energetic at this time of day?”

He laughed and picked up her bags. “Years of waking up early to surf. And I’m not hung over, so it’s a good start to the day.”

Veronica nodded and sipped her coffee. Dick gestured for her to follow him. As they walked, Dick started talking. “So, Carrie has organized a very public memorial service for Logan. It’s going to happen on the beach at sundown tonight. I’m on the list of people going, and I got you on the list as my ‘date’.” Veronica choked on her coffee a little at this news. “But don’t worry. It’s not like we have to act like we’re together. An ex-girlfriend coming to a memorial is totally legit. I thought you might find out something by being there.”

They reached Dick’s ugly red Hummer. Veronica stopped and stared off into space. The California sun was coming up, shining bright against the pure blue sky. She had almost forgotten what the sky looked like without buildings obstructing her view.

“Ummm....earth to Ronnie! You okay?” Dick asked as he threw her bags in the trunk.

She gave her head a shake. “Yeah. Just tired. Trying to process the idea of a memorial for Logan.”

Dick slammed trunk shut and walked over to Veronica. “I know. It’s hard to think that so many people have just written him off. If I didn’t say it before, I’m so glad you believe me. He’s not dead. Which means he’s alive and in trouble. We gotta find him and help.”

Veronica looked up at Dick. He had aged. His once tan skin was now starting to become leathery, giving way to lines on his forehand and around his mouth. His blue eyes started to crackle and his long hair was hiding his receding hairline. They weren’t kids anymore.

“Dick, I’ll do what I can. I haven’t done this in a while, so don’t expect miracles. Plus I am in dire need of a nap before anything else happens.”

Dick opened the passenger door for him. “Jump in then! There are two breakfast sandwiches, on top of that chocolate croissant I handed you, waiting in the car.”

Veronica hopped up into the vehicle, being careful not to spill her coffee, and buckled herself in. This was going to be a strange ride.

* * *

 

  
About 45 minutes later, they pulled up in front of a beach house. Veronica wrinkled her forehead. “Dick. You didn’t have to rent me an entire house to stay in.”

Dick laughed and threw the car into park. “As if! This is my place. I figured you could stay here. Logan was living with me when he disappeared so all his stuff is here. Thought you might want to go through it for clues...after your nap, that is.”

Veronica was stunned for a second. In her mind, everything was trapped in a frieze from nine-years ago; Dick still lived in The Grand; Logan was still partying; she was a big screw-up. All of them growing up and moving on never really crossed her mind.

“Wow. You have a home. It’s almost like you’re a grown-up.” She commented offhand.

Dick shook his head. “Yeah. I have a house. I make my own money with investments. I even have a shrink. I’ve got this adulting thing down.” With that, he hopped out of the car and went around to get her things.

Veronica let herself out and walked to the front door. Dick let her in and she followed him to the back of the house. He pulled back a large curtain with a flourish. “Ta-da! This is where you can stay.”

It was a beautiful room. There was a big bed against one wall and the entire room was surrounded by windows. The blinds were pulled down half-way, casting morning shadows around the room. There was a smell of fresh sheets and the bed looked inviting. Veronica wandered over to the bed and ran her hand over the duvet. It felt warm and inviting.

Dick cleared his throat. “This is where Logan was staying. I cleared out most of his stuff and washed the bedding, but I left his clothes in the dressers...for when he comes back. When you close the blinds it’s pretty dark in here so you should be able to nap.”

_He was here._

Without turning, Veronica kept her eyes on the bed. “Thank you, Dick. I’m sure I’ll be quite comfortable here.”

Dick backed out of the room. “I’m gonna go surfing. Give you some time alone. I’ll fill you in more when you wake up.” And he closed the thick curtain behind him.

Veronica moved slowly to close the curtains. Running her hand over the dresser, she willed herself to open it. The top drawer was filled with t-shirts. She pressed her hand down on a stack, hoping to feel Logan’s chest underneath. On impulse, she made a fist and pulled the shirt out and unfurled it. The words “Go Navy” were written in blue across it. There was so much that she didn’t know about THIS Logan. HER Logan wouldn’t have dreamed about being a pilot. But THIS Logan was.

She dropped the shirt on the bed and started to remove her clothes. When she had stripped down to her underwear, she slipped the shirt over her head. It dropped down her body and hung halfway down her thighs. He was wearing a slightly larger size of shirt now.

From his photos in the entertainment magazine’s “memorium” she realized he wasn’t the scrawny teenager from her head. He was now a strapping, muscular Navy man. One of the paparazzi photos was one of him in his wetsuit, coming out of the water from surfing. She thought about the image of THIS Logan as she crawled across the bed, clasping on the pillow. Even with the clean bedding it still smelled like him; HER Logan. She rolled around, gathering the ends of the blanket underneath her and wrapped each end around her like a hug.

A feeling of overwhelming calm came over her. She felt lighter than air. She couldn’t remember a time that she felt this way. There was a time....but it was so long ago. She listened as her breathe steadied, and she drifted easily into a comfortable sleep.


	5. 'Cause you're so kind

_Veronica felt the bed move. She opened her eyes to find a pair of beautiful chocolate brown eyes staring back at her beside her pillow._

_“Hey.”_

_“Hey.”_

_“Good to see you again.”_

_“You too. You’ve changed.”_

_He laughed. “No. Not really.”_

_“Oh. Good.” She smiled ._

_“Why aren’t you out looking for me.”_

_“I needed a nap.”_

_Logan nodded. His jaw set tight._

_“You know, if you were in trouble, you could have called.”_

_“And disturb your ‘normal’ life?”_

_“I would have come if you called.”_

_“Yeah, right.”_

_“I would have. And what’s wrong with wanting a normal life.”_

_Logan sat up on the bed and looked down at Veronica. He was in board shorts and the same “Go Navy!” shirt she was wearing._

_“Veronica, you were never normal. Neither was I. Or Lily. Or Duncan. That’s why we were all together.”_

_She paused for a moment. “What if I want to be normal? Is that so bad?”_

_Logan shook his head. “Why be ordinary when you can be extraordinary? Most of the world is living ordinary, normal lives. You are not ordinary Veronica Mars. Strive for extraordinary.”_

_There was silence as she contemplated his words. Then a song started to pierce the air. A twisted version of Blue Oyster Cult’s “The Reaper” came on._

_“That’s my cue. Gotta go!” And Logan vanished._

Veronica threw herself up and out of bed, fumbling for her purse. Crawling on the ground, she found it and pressed ‘accept’.

“Hello?”

“Hey Number One daughter! Did I wake you?” Keith bellowed through the phone.

She rubbed her head. “Kind of, yeah.”

“Ah! Sorry. Studying for the Bar is tough work. How’s the weather in New York today?”

Veronica glanced towards the windows. “Uhhhhhh....sunny....”

“Really, because when I got off the phone with Piz just now, he said that it was raining.”

_FuckShitDamnFuckAssholeShitFuck_

“You there Veronica?”

Veronica let out a growl of frustration. “Really? Piz called my Daddy on me???”

“Now Veronica, your fiancé is just worried....”

“Whatever Dad. It’s between him and me. You keep out of it, okay?”

Keith sighed. “I know you WANT Logan to be alive but...”

“He IS alive Dad. I have evidence. I just need to find him.”

There was a deep silence between them.

“Did you consider Piz’s feelings when you went off to rescue your ex?”

“Yes. But this has nothing to do with Piz. Logan was my friend before he was my boyfriend. I’ve known him since I was 12 years old. I owe it to him.” Her voice got quieter. “I owe it to Lily. I owe it to Duncan. I owe it to myself. I need to see this through, for my own peace of mind.”

Keith let out a long sigh. “Fine. Then why don’t you come by the house this afternoon and have coffee with Alicia and me. I still have all of the Mars Investigations junk in my basement. Some of it may come in handy.”

Veronica exhaled. “Thank you Dad. That means a lot to me.”

“Okay. I’ll dig some stuff up. Give me a call before you come over and we’ll talk.”

“I love you Dad.”

“I love you too.” And with that, Keith hung up.

Veronica lay on her back on the floor. She felt a breeze on her thighs and realized her shirt had hiked up her body when she jumped out of bed. She pulled the shirt back down her legs and continued to lay there.

“Knock knock!” Came a voice from the other side of the curtain. Dick poked his head in, looked around quizzically, then noticed Veronica at his feet near the edge of the fabric divider. “I ran out and got Vietnamese Subs for lunch. Thought we could talk some more about stuff.”

Veronica looked up at him. “Thanks Dick. I’ll be right out.”

He paused for a moment. “Nice shirt.” He said and closed the draping.

Veronica covered her eyes and groaned. “You better be alive, Echolls, so I can have the satisfaction of killing you myself.”

 


	6. I know you would not mind

  
Veronica pulled up to her dad’s house in Dick’s black BMW. Why rent a car, when Dick had three? It had been a while since the Neptune New Yorker had driven, but the performance vehicle made it easy to get back in the swing of it.

The house was in a nice little middle-class suburb. The three bedroom colonial style house had a beautiful front porch and a big backyard. When they had married, Alicia insisted that they had enough money to buy a home. Having lost his house once, Keith was sceptical, and wanted to just stay in Alicia’s house, but she insisted they upgrade to something that could accommodate their lives together.

  
One second after she knocked on the door, it flung open and Alicia threw herself out of the house to embrace Veronica. “Oh, honey. It’s so good to see you!!! Come in! Your dad has dragged every old box out into the living room. He’s been waiting....”

Veronica took a moment to compose herself from Alicia’s mauling, then stepped through the door. Her dad was a few feet away, sitting on the couch, surrounded by boxes. He jumped up when he saw her and scaled the fortress. “Hi sweetheart!” He said warmly and enveloped her in a big hug.

“Hi Dad.” She beamed at him. She hadn’t seen him in almost six-months and it made her heart pound deep in her chest thinking about how much she missed him every day.

Keith gestured to a comfy chair in the living room. “I cleared a spot for you and Alicia made fresh coffee and ran out and got those pastries you like from that bakery downtown.”

“Yum! Thank you Alicia!” Veronica said. Even as a grown-up, it was still nice that her dad and step-mom doted on her once in a while. She took off her jacket and flopped into the chair, putting her feet up in some boxes.

Keith took a seat near her in the couch. “So, what evidence makes you so sure Logan is alive?”

“Wow. Cut to the chase dad. Can’t I have my coffee first?”

“No.”

Veronica scowled. “Fine. Here’s what I know. Logan disappeared on June 15th. He was supposed to report for some test flights on base in San Diego. He never arrived. Dick said he left his house that morning after breakfast and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He got a call several hours later as Logan’s Emergency Contact that he failed to report for duty. They started searching for him and contacted Sheriff Lamb. Dick called Carrie Bishop – or Bonnie Deville – and she got really upset. Seems they were ‘on a break’ but she had just seen him a few days before...to try and work things out.”

“Anyway, Lamb raked Dick over the coals, thinking Logan had just gone to Tijuana to escape the military, but Dick knew he wouldn’t do that. The military finally found his car in the water near a turn off the P.C.H. No one knows what happened. If it happened during the day, there would have been witnesses. But no one came forward. They never found a body, but the car was definitely Logan’s. A few days later, Dick was handed a note by a young Hispanic man, in front of his house at 2 am. It was a note that said that “he” was fine. But when Dick took the note to Lamb he dismissed it.”

“When you wouldn’t take the case, Dick contacted Mac and she found out that Logan withdrew $50,000 cash from an offshore account the day before he disappeared. It didn’t seem like he made any large purchases, like a car, with the money so I thought he either used it to disappear or pay off someone.”

Keith nodded. “Was he involved with anyone that would necessitate being paid off? Drugs? Gambling?”

“Dick said he had been sober since he joined the Navy, eight years ago. I guess he had become involved in a lot of ‘recreational’ drugs when they used to party, along with the alcohol. Dick told me he almost died of alcohol poisoning one night when they were partying. That’s when he decided to straighten up and try to get into the Naval Academy.”

Keith nodded, listening intently. “Anyone else? What about his girlfriend, Bonnie Deville?”

Veronica scrunched up her face. “You mean Carrie Bishop? I went to school with her. She was the one who accused Mr. Rooks of having an affair with her, when it was really Susan Knight who had the affair, and illegitimate child, with him. It was cunning and manipulative....even if she was trying to protect her best friend.”

Keith smacked his forehead “That’s right! I had almost forgot about that case. My old brain is starting to go on the fritz.”

“So is it possible that she had something to do with her EX-boyfriend’s disappearance? You bet. She has the brains and cunning. And now, with her success as a singer, she probably had the funds and clout too. Dick wrangled me an invitation to Logan’s Memorial Service on the beach tonight. It will give me a chance to observe the grieving for myself.”

“Anyone else?”

Veronica took a deep breath. “Gory Sorokin.”

“What?”

“Gory Sorokin. You remember him. Guy with mafia connections who recorded me and Piz making out.”

“Name rings a bell. How would Logan have gotten mixed up with him?”

Veronica made a pained face. “Because Logan beat the crap out of him in the cafeteria at Hearst, the end of our first year of college. He then dragged him over to me and forced him to apologize to me for making the video.”

Keith put his head in his hands. “Did he KNOW he was connected?”

Veronica nodded. “Yes. He said he didn’t care; that we all had to die, someday.”

“And you still maintain this is the man who did NOT commit suicide, because that sure sounds like a death-wish.” Keith growled.

“Dad....I....” She was at a loss.

Keith put up his hand. “Then it’s a good thing I have been keeping tabs on Gory for years.”

Veronica was confused. “What? How?”

“After you left town, I went to visit Jake. I figured he owed me a favor or two considering he was sleeping with my wife fir most of my marriage and we found the man who killed his daughter. I told him he wouldn’t have to worry about you discussing the contents of his hard drive, however, I needed assurances that Gory wouldn’t be anywhere around you. He agreed – probably more for your mother’s sake than mine – and Clarence Weidmen sent me regular reports on his activities.”

Veronica’s mouth dropped open but she stayed silent.

“Two years ago, Gory was beaten to death by some guy at a club in L.A. Apparently, Gory started waving around insults and threats at a girl when she rejected his advances. The girl’s boyfriend took him outside and smashed his skull into the pavement. So I’d say you could cross him off your list of suspects.”

Veronica looked down. “Ohhhhkaaayyy. Well then. Gory is officially off the list. Moving on...”

Alicia appeared with coffee and pastries. “A little break is needed in this discussion. And coffee will help the thought process.”

Veronica looked up happily at her step-mom. She never thought she could get used to having a step-mom, but Alicia exuded love from every pore. It was hard not to let her mother Veronica.

“Thanks Alicia. As always, your timing is impeccable.” Veronica smiled.

The rest of the visit consisted of discussing what types of equipment Veronica felt she needed. Her father gave her several bugs, some small video recording devices, and her old camera equipment.

As she made her way to the car, her loot in hand, her father reached out and stopped her with a gentle touch of her shoulder. “Be careful at the memorial tonight. And if you need to track someone, take Dick with you. He’s big and burley and can be your backup.”

Veronica laughed. “And he’s only slightly smarter than Backup actually was!”

Her dad shook his head and gave her a hug. “I love you. Stay safe. I’ll call you if I have any ideas on the case.”

She enjoyed her hug for a few seconds before leaving his embrace. “Thanks Dad. And thank you for trusting my instincts on this.”

He nodded. “Well, we can talk more when this is over.”

Veronica jumped in the car. She felt like she did when she was a teenager – she knew she was still in trouble, she just didn’t seem to care.

 


	7. You'd send away the ghosts that haunt me now

  
Dick pulled the Hummer through the crowd of photographers with ease. Now Veronica could see why they took the monstrosity. What it lacked it character, it made up for in intimidation. And the throngs of paparazzi that lined the police perimeter near the beach needed some intimidation to drop their cameras and get out of the way.

Dick maneuvered past the officers and pulled his ID out of one of the cup holders. A man with a clipboard and a safety vest held up his hand for the vehicle to stop. Dick rolled down his window and showed his I.D. “Richard Casablancas and Veronica Mars.”

The tall, thin man gestured to Veronica. “I need your I.D. too.”

Veronica frowned and dug in her purse. She flashed it at him, not taking it out of her wallet. He nodded and make something down. “Thank you. Proceed to the parking area. The ceremony will take place in approximately 20 minutes. No photography or video recordings please.”

Veronica looked back. The paparazzi, while kept at bay, still had an excellent view of the site with their telephoto lenses.

Dick nodded and rolled up his window. “Yeah. We can’t take pictures. We may catch Carrie at a bad angle. Leave it to the professionals.”

“I am getting the distinct impression you don’t like Carrie.”

Dick pulled into a parking spot and turned off the car. “You know, she was an okay girl, and then Susan died and she just kind of went loopy.”

Veronica was shocked. “What? Susan died? When did this happen?”

“The year after you left for Stanford. Logan was deep into his ‘whoa is me, Ronnie left me’ period.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem. Anyway, I went out to party with Carrie, Gia, Susan, Luke, and Cobb on this boat, since Logan was hiding in his room again. So we all get fucked up on this stuff Cobb brought and I pass out. Next morning, I wake up and all hell is breaking lose. They can’t find Susan. I guess she got messed up and kept crying about the baby she lost, and the man that she thought would love her.”

“Wait? What happened to the baby? She left town while she was pregnant and I never heard about it.”

“Stillborn. Completely fucked up situation. She had convinced her parents to let her keep it too. That’s when she really started getting into the hard drugs. So the police, they figure that she was so upset that night that when we all went to sleep, she jumped out of the boat and killed herself.”

“Oh my god.”

“Yeah. Carrie was never the same. I think that’s why Carrie and Logan bonded when they ran into each other overseas; two fucked up people trying to make sense of the world. Except Logan was getting his act together and she was still fucking up her life.”

“How?”

“Drugs. She was sober when Logan originally got together with her, and when he was in town, but if she was on the road or he was, she was usually using something. “

Veronica was quiet. “Do you think the $50,000 was to pay off someone for Carrie?”

“Possibly. But why wouldn’t Carrie use her own money? She was loaded from her albums.”

Veronica sighed. People were starting to gather in the chairs near the podium that was set up near the water. “We should go.”

Dick took a deep breath and exited the vehicle. Veronica slipped out of the car, straightened her long deep-blue dress, and adjusted her flowered shawl. Dick came around and put a hand on her shoulder. “You ready?”

“Fuck no.”

“Me neither.”

The two walked close together, trying to make a beeline for the chairs. Unfortunately, their path was stopped by someone.

“Oh. My. God. Dick asked to have you put on the list but I didn’t believe you would actually come.”

“Hey....Gia....”

The tall, skinny woman was in a plunging black dress with rhinestones around the edges. “I can’t believe you’re here. After all you put Logan....and Carrie...through.”

“I’m sorry. What was that? What did I do to Carrie?”

“You know perfectly well that you broke Logan’s heart so badly that he couldn’t get over it. No matter what Carrie did, she was never as ‘good’ as the great Veronica Mars!”

Veronica’s mouth dropped open. She was unable to make a sound.

“She tried and she tried to live up to Logan’s expectations and she never could. Not with him calling YOUR name in his sleep.”

It was Dick that finally interjected. “Yeah. Logan’s high standard of ‘don’t get fucked up on drugs while I’m gone.’ That is all Veronica’s fault.”

Gia turned on him and hissed. “Oh, like you haven’t been hurt by Veronica’s daggers too. I believe she was the one who was there when Cassidy died. And her and her dad called my dad a paedophile before he died.”

“Ummm, Gia....let’s not forget your dad abused Cassidy. And then it was Cassidy that killed him. So I’m not too sure how it’s Veronica’s fault...” Defended Dick.

“Whatever, Dick. Just keep her away from Carrie. She’s already really fragile. I don’t want Veronica getting her hooks in her.” Gia spat, then turned with a flourish and marched down the beach.

Veronica was shell shocked. “Well, that didn’t go very well.”

“Pffttt. Gia’s a nut job. She and Carrie are, like, BFFs but in a completely co-dependent way. It was actually Gia who organized this with her husband, Luke. Luke is a City Councillor now so Gia thinks she’s the First Lady of Neptune.”

Veronica looked toward the podium and saw a very official looking officer standing there. She nudged Dick. “I think it’s time we sat down.”

The two sat near the back of the chairs. There were about 100 seats in total, many of them occupied by Naval officers in full dress whites. The rest were a smattering of people that Veronica did not recognize. Friends of Carrie’s? Friends of Logan’s? There was so much she still didn’t know about Logan’s life now.

The man at the podium started to speak. “Ladies and Gentlemen. Fellow officers. Thank you for coming tonight. We gather today to celebrate the life of Lt. Logan Echolls. For those of us who knew him, we gather to share our stories as well as our grief. Together, for one small moment, let us all take comfort in the knowledge that we were a part of Lt. Echolls extraordinary life.”

Veronica’s chest tightened. Remember...He’s still alive...He’s sill alive....

‘The first person who wanted to speak is Lt. Luis Hernandez, one of Lt. Echolls friends and shipmates on the carrier Harry S. Truman.”

The older man stepped back and a Hispanic man, about their age, in full uniform stepped to the mic. The Lieutenant saluted the senior officer and then stood to speak.

“Speaking isn’t really my thing. But it sure was ‘Mouth’s’! Hence his nickname. I remember seeing him in basic training, lip off a training officer. He had to do 100 extra push-ups, in the mud. So he gets up, and tells the officer off again, and had to do 100 more, dipping his face in the mud each time. You’d think he would learn, but nope. Some days, I was astounded how he managed to get to the point where they let him fly. But, man, when he got in the air, that boy was amazing! All focus, no lip. He was one of the best pilots in the Navy. He could out manoeuvre me in a heartbeat, and brag about it after, but you never minded. He could be the biggest jackass, but at the same time, he was one of the nicest guys. Like when my wife had our baby...He gave up his Facetime so I could see her more often when we were overseas. And when Frenchie’s mom was sick in L.A. he somehow arranged for a doctor to come and check up on her, even though she didn’t have insurance. I could go on for days...and that’s jusy the ways he helped that we found out about! We all knew who he was and that he didn’t need to be in the military for money, he was there because he loved it, and he wanted to help anyone he could. But that’s all I gotta say.” He kissed his fingers and pointed to the sky. “Fly high, Mouth.” And then left the podium.

Speaker after speaker continued like this. Stories – funny, sad, joyful – filled the next 30 minutes. After the last speaker, there was a pause and Veronica looked at Dick. “Are you going to talk?”

He shook his head. “Carrie knew I wasn’t a fan of her’s. I wasn’t asked to speak.”

Veronica reached out and put a comforting hand on Dick’s shoulder. He looked stoic. Even though they knew he was alive, this whole production was an obvious show for the cameras behind them.

A low murmur rippled through the crowd. Carrie, guitar in hand, walked in front of the crowd. She was wearing a long, gauzy black dress. Her wavy hair was flying in the evening breeze, showing streaks of purple and blue, combined with jet black. She wore no make up and was barefoot in the sand. Cobb jumped up and put out a folding chair for her to sit on. She took a seat and surveyed the audience. Gia moved the mic into place in front of her. She was silent for a moment, her head down. When she looked up, her eyes were dull and hazy. Her movements seemed stunted and awkward.

She must be on something. Veronica thought.

Just then, Carrie started strumming her guitar. It was beautiful. The melody was low and haunting. The sun started to set in the background. “For you, my beautiful Logan.” She said quietly.

The night you left the moon shone bright  
Through my bedroom window pane  
The sheets still pressed  
Where your body once lay  
And things were not the same

Two broken people fall in love  
What else could we do  
But hold on tight  
Try to do what’s right  
Until we were through

And I wished the things that I had said  
Didn’t hurt you oh so bad  
That you needed this new escape  
From this life we knew  
And left us all so sad

Two broken people fall in love  
What else could we do  
But hold on tight  
Try to do what’s right  
Until we were through

You took it all that crazy night  
And now I have to say goodbye  
God, this can’t even be real  
You have my heart and my mind  
Until the day I die

Two broken people fall in love  
What else could we do  
But hold on tight  
Try to do what’s right  
Until we were through

The final strains of the song hung in the air. And then it started. A low rumble in the sky. It took the civilians a moment to realize what they were hearing. Suddenly, over Carrie’s shoulder, across the skyline, Veronica saw them. The military planes, flying in formation. Carrie lowered her head as the charged over the crowd with a crack.

That was when Veronica let go. Tears started rolling down her cheeks. She knew Logan was alive, but she cried for the time they had lost. For everything she knew and everything she didn’t know about him. Her cry turned to a sob and she felt Dick put his arm around her shoulder. People started to get up to leave but Veronica was frozen.

Then suddenly, from her seat, Carrie looked up to survey the crowd. Her eyes lolling along, in a daze. Until she saw Veronica.

The stricken singer jumped out of her seat and threw down her guitar. She pointed at Veronica. “HER!! WHO LET VERONICA MARS IN?!! GET HER OUT! GET HER OUT!!!” She shrieked violently.

Gia, Luke, and Cobb rushed to Carrie. Veronica was on her feet in seconds. She and Dick turned around and fled towards the car. When they reached the parking lot, they realized their exit was being captured on film. “Hold on.” Said Dick as he started the car before Veronica had even closed the door.

Dick shot the Hummer into gear and took off down a stretch of sand. The confused police and paparazzi broke free of their mutual comfort zone and stated to move towards the ceremony area. Dick gunned it, jumped the curb, and took off for home.

Veronica was shaking. “I know Logan was sober, but do you have any alcohol at home? My nerves are shot.”

Dick laughed. “Logan was the sober one. I have about ten different tequilas and seven different scotches.”

Veronica sighed. “That will be a good start.”

 


	8. And the things I fear

Veronica’s ears were ringing. No, wait, that was her phone.

The tequila fog lifted momentarily as Veronica groped the side table for the source of the obnoxious sound.

“’ello?”

“Veronica? Is that you?”

“Yes Piz, it’s me.”

“Were you sleeping?”

Veronica glanced at the clock. It was exactly 9 am. Piz must have spent the morning waiting to call on his Saturday off at exactly Noon, New York time.

“Yes. Yes I was. Late night last night.” Late night sampling several lovely sipping tequilas on the deck with Dick, while he regaled her with stories about Logan from the past nine years.

“Oh. I hadn’t heard from you. And you said you would call.”

“Well, that was before you dragged my dad into this. Now you can get your updates about me from him.”

“I knew you would be mad.”

“So then why did you tattle on me like I’m a five year old stealing cookies?!”

“Because I thought he could talk some sense into you.”

Veronica rubbed her forehead with her free hand. “So instead of talking to me about your feelings, you go to my dad to...I’m sorry...’talk some sense into me’?”

“Our Arts & Entertainment writer at the radio station emailed me. She sent me all the coverage of you and Dick Casablancas at Logan’s memorial.”

“Well, I hope TMZ got my good side.”

Piz let out a deep sigh. “I just don’t know what to do to make you come home.”

“Well, you just found out what will ‘make me’ NOT come home!”

Silence. Long uncomfortable silence fell.

“Don’t do this.”

“Why? Because I don’t want to be your fiancée first and everything else second anymore? Because I want a man who is not intimidated by my friendships? BECAUSE I WANT A MAN WHO DOESN’T SAY HE WANTS TO ‘MAKE ME’ DO SOMETHING???”

Silence again. Piz’s voice came out ragged. “So this is it.”

Veronica was seething. “Yes. This is it. I will courier your ring back to you in the next few days.”

“Wow. Just like that? You’re going to throw this all away? For what? For WHO? A ghost???”

“I’m not doing it for anyone but ME! Piz, I don’t want to be the person everyone expects me to be. I want to actually BE ME! Do you get that?”

“Okay then. Who are you? Who is this person I think I am engaged to?”

Veronica paused. Then she smiled a big, confident smile at the ceiling.

“I am Veronica Mars. And I am extraordinary.” She proclaimed.

There was silence from Piz. He didn’t know what to say. Finally he settled on something. “Send the ring when you can. I will hire someone to pack your stuff. Goodbye Veronica Mars.” And he hung up.

Veronica hung up and tossed her phone on the night stand. She heard the rustling of the curtain and saw an arm come through holding a big bottle of Evian. The bottle shook at her and said “Damn straight you’re Veronica Mars! Now get up. I’ve got Tylenol and breakfast ready. We got our boy to find.”

Veronica shook her head and crawled for the bottle. “Thank you.” She said, taking it and watching the arm retract.

“You’re welcome.” Said Dick.

Veronica sat on the edge of the bed in the “Go Navy!” t-shirt. The weight of what she said to Piz on her shoulders. She looked on the side table at the engagement ring Piz gave her. She grabbed it and opened the side table drawer. Before throwing it in, she peered inside. There was a box of open condoms. Veronica shivered at the thought of Logan sleeping with someone in this bed. Under the condoms was a pile of papers. Veronica picked up the pile and threw the ring in the drawer before slamming it closed.

“Good filing skills, Logan.” Veronica looked at the stack of bills. Flipping through, there were receipts for work on his cars, dry cleaning, a water bill for the beach house....and then her eye caught it...an AMEX Bill with a different name...Charlie Lester.

“His brother and his mother!” She exclaimed.

She scanned the receipt. It was nothing but donations. One to a Veterans program in San Diego. Another one to a Boys and Girls Club in L.A. She looked at the top of the bill – the limit was $100,000. A payment showing said that it was paid in cash.

An anonymous credit card. Not in his name. It wouldn’t have been cancelled when he died. He could use it anywhere. He could be using it right now!

She grabbed for her phone and searched her contacts. “Mac? Mac, I need your help! I think I found Logan! Can you come over to Dick’s and give me a hand?”

Mac yawned into the phone. “Ahhh...Bond. I was expecting your call. Only for you would I get up before noon on a Saturday. I’ll be over in a bit. Make coffee.”

“Okay. I’ll see you later.”

Veronica hung up. She was elated. “I’m coming for you Logan. Just stay put, and I’ll find you.”

 


	9. Just wouldn't seem so near

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who has been so supportive of this new story. 
> 
> I apologize if you don't see your comment on my work. I had a little mishap with AO3 and instead of marking some as "read", they got "deleted" when my toddler jumped on me while I was reading them.
> 
> This is the point you have all been waiting for. Hope you enjoy it!!

  
Veronica, Dick, and Mac were all huddled around her laptop screen. She had easily hacked into Charlie Lester’s credit card information and they were now scrolling through billing from the past seven years. It seemed that anything Logan didn’t want anyone finding out about, went on this card. This included donations, doctor’s bills, and the occasional hotel.

It took some time to scroll through, but finally, they landed on June 1 of that year.

“Okay. Let’s see when things start getting strange.” Said Veronica.

“Well here’s one. June 10th is a payment to Neptune Hydro & Gas. Looks like an amount to turn some services on or off.” Said Mac. “Maybe he’s still in Neptune, hiding out.”

“Ummm...and one to some website selling temporary tattoos.” Said Dick.

“Then nothing and then they start up again on June 17 – two days after Logan ‘died’” Said Veronica. “Gil’s Grocery -- $75.82. Gas n’ Sip -- $40.00. Both in Neptune. And the times are at 10 pm and 10:17 pm. He’s coming out at night.”

“He must be. Look at all the times. Every night he is out after dark, at some little shop or coffee shop or greasy spoon.” Observed Mac.

“No look! He went out once during the day. The day before the memorial service. He went to Ben’s Camera Shop at 10 am.” Dick pointed excitedly at the screen.

Veronica took a deep breath. “What if he was there? With the photographers? What if he was at the service?!”

“He dropped $10,000 on a camera set-up. He could have easily blended in. And if he was wearing a disguise...” Countered Mac.

“Wait! Then he may have seen Veronica and me when we were there!” Dick jumped up, almost knocking the two girls off the couch. “What if he saw Veronica, put two and two together, and bolts?! We know he’s in Neptune right now! Let’s go find him.”

“Fuck. Dick’s right. Mac, can you hack into Neptune Hydro’s database and find out the address for someone paying for an activation? There can’t be that many in one day.” Veronica instructed. “I’m going to change and get some equipment together.”

“What should I do?” Asked Dick.

“Wait.” Instructed Veronica.

When Veronica returned from her room, Mac was frowning at her computer and Dick was pacing with a drink in his hand. She had changed into tight black yoga pants, a t-shirt, black hoodie, and sneakers. She carried a satchel slung over her body. “How’s it going?” She asked.

“Well, this is my second...” Replied Dick.

“Not you! Mac!”

“I’m just getting the last couple of people. Unfortunately, Logan didn’t use his alias, so we have to figure out who’s name the house he is using is under.”  
  
“Let me see the list.” Veronica plopped herself down next to Mac again and started scanning the screen.

“STOP!! I’ve got it!!”

“What? Which one is it?” Dick lunged at them.

“Leticia Navarro! Logan once told me that he went back and bought the house from Mrs. Navarro’s landlord. He put the property in her name so she wouldn’t have to worry about money.”

“Mrs. Navarro died a few years ago. Logan went to the service.” Dick interjected.

“So now what do we do?” Questioned Mac.

Veronica paused. Then she smiled. “We surprise him!”

\-------------------------------------

  
Veronica adjusted her earpiece. Mac sat in the driver’s seat, adjusting her listening device. “Dick is pretty pissed.” Mac said.

“Okay, (A) he had three drinks by the time we left...he couldn’t have driven even if I wanted him to and (B) none of his cars would blend-in in this area.”

“What are you saying about my car?”

“It ain’t no BMW, Q.” Veronica teased. “Do you remember our codes?”

“You say ‘normal’ and it means you found him and everything is good. You say ‘contemplate’ and I call the cops. I will drop you off near the back yard and circle in a random fashion until I hear otherwise.”

“That’s the plan! Wish me luck!”

“Good luck. And Veronica, when you find him...go easy on him.”

Veronica made a scoffing sound. “I’ll just be happy to find him alive.”

Mac snorted. “Yeah. Okay.”

Mac pulled along beside the block where the Navarro house stood. The air was stifling hot. The pavement had heat waves rising from it and everyone had hidden indoors to find shade from the afternoon sun.

Veronica quickly made her way to the house. Most of the windows were boarded, but the door was clean and the windows washed. She easily hopped the chain link fence to the back yard and surveyed the scene quickly. All the windows had ornate bars on them. She would have to go in the back door. Keeping low to the ground, she got out her lock pick set and slipped up to the old door. It opened easily, with a low creaking. She slowly slithered in to the crack so she wouldn’t have to open it further.

The air was dusty. She realized some of the windows where open and the shade and the soft breeze cooled her. She put up her black hood and tucked in her hair, trying to blend with the shadows. The kitchen was clean and there were several cans of Pepsi sitting around catching flies. She moved through the living room and heard footsteps above her. She held her breath as she heard a door creak upstairs and the shower start. Someone was home. Was it Logan? What if it was Wevil? Or another one of Letty’s grandkids?

Veronica inched up the stairs and saw steam coming out of the doorway of one room. She started to approach, glancing at the open doors around the second floor. She stopped at the entrance to the bathroom. Her heart beat wildly. Slowly, she started walking towards the shower curtain, one hand raised. Just as she grasped the edge of the fabric? She heard a mechanical “click.” Her instincts made her freeze.

“I don’t like to be interrupted when I’m in the shower.” A low voice came. “Lower your hood and turn around so I can see you.”

Veronica turned slowly, pulling back her hood and letting her long hair fall. She met the eyes of her captor. He lowered his gun and smirked. “You found me.”

Veronica was shaking. “I always will.”

 


	10. And when I stroll out late at night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry to leave such a cliffhanger. Everything was done and my phone ate two very important chapters before I could post them. Then I came down with the stomach flu. Thankfully, I was able to recreate this chapter to my satisfaction pretty quickly. Enjoy!!

Logan was standing there in nothing but his black boxer briefs. Tattoos covered both of his arms and ran all the way across his shoulders and around his neck. His face was covered in a thick brown beard and his hair was short but shaggy. He lowered his gun to his side.

“Is it him?” Hissed a voice in Veronica’s ear.

She raised her hand to the side of her head. She had forgotten that Mac could hear everything she said. “Everything is normal. Head back to H.Q. I’ll call later with an update.”

“Okay. Don’t be too hard on him.” Mac reminded her.

Veronica removed the earpiece and dropped it on the ground. The heel of her shoe came down and crushed it.

“Impressive.” Logan said, raising an eyebrow. “Now what?”

Veronica was on him within steps. She attacked his mouth ferociously. It took Logan a second to comprehend what was going on, but when he did, he kissed her back, hard. Veronica scaled him with her tiny frame and Logan helped by grabbing her around the waist and holding on tightly.

He spun her around and they caught the doorway of the bedroom. Veronica lowered her legs and he let her down. Keeping her eyes on him, she unzipped her hoodie and dropped it and her satchel on the floor. She then grabbed his face with her hands and began kissing him again. He lifted her up, her legs dangling like a doll, and maneuvered her to the bed. She knelt on the bare mattress so they were at the same height. Panting, she released him from their kissing and whipped off her t-shirt, throwing it indiscriminately in the room.

The window near the bed was open and a breeze came through, making Veronica shiver. She reached out and started to trace Logan’s tattoos with her fingers; up one arm, across his chest, and along the side of his neck. His body had changed from the boy she once knew into a man’s. The breeze made his skin rise and she brushed her hand across his hard nipple, eliciting a groan from him. She bent her head and licked across the hard nub, tasting the sweat on his pecks.

She rocked back on her knees and reached between her soft cleavage. With a snap, she released her breasts from her black lace bra, watching as Logan’s eyes got dark with lust. Arching her back, she grabbed one sneaker and sock, and then the next, and whipped them off her feet.

Feeling powerful, she stood up on the bed and with one quick movement; she pulled down her black pants and panties, revealing her full self to him. When she was a girl, Veronica was all angles and lines. Now that she was a woman, she had grown soft curves to her hips and ass, her breasts now swelled and her stomach softened. Her confidence radiated like the California sun.

“God, Veronica.” Murmured Logan. “You’ve even more beautiful than my dreams remember.”

Logan crawled onto the bed and coaxed her to walk backwards on the bed, until she met the wall the bed was pushed against, near the window. She was hidden from view, but could feel the breeze again.

He raised one of her legs over his shoulder, holding her steady against the wall with his hands at her hips. He then buried his face in her blond mound. She cried out with pleasure as his tongue found her clit as his beard created friction on her folds.

“Logan! Oh my god! Please! Please Logan!”

He eased one finger into her and started working her, juices dripping down his hand. It only took a minute before she was coming, hard, screaming and crying his name.

“I’ve got you.” He murmured, and kissed her navel, retracting his finger and putting it to his mouth to clean it.

He eased her onto her back on the bed and lay beside her. Immediately, she was crawling on top of him, straddling his hips and grinding down just above his cock.

“Hold it, Bobcat. I don’t have any condoms in this dump.” He said, closing his eyes to fight the sensation to grind back up into her.

Veronica smiled a delicious smile and hopped off of him. Her back turned to him; she scooped her purse off the floor and reached inside. With a flourish, she extracted a long line of condoms. She then strode back to the bed and mounted him again, placing the packages across his chest.

Logan’s belly laugh made her bounce up and down. “Well, aren’t you prepared for anything.” He teased.

She shrugged. “It was a last minute decision when I packed my gear. They were in your bedside table. I WAS planning on killing you when I found you….but then another thought came to me…”

With a swift motion, Veronica was on her back on the mattress, pinned by Logan, who hovered just above her as not to suffocate the tiny woman. Their eyes locked and their smiles disappeared. She reached up with both hands and cupped his hairy cheeks. “Make love to me, Logan.” She whispered, her eyes starting to glisten with tears.

“I missed you so much.” He whispered back.

“Show me.” She kissed him gently, the scent of her trapped in his beard. He deepened the kiss, pressing his body closer to hers.

He broke free and kissed one cheek where a tear had fallen. He then trailed small kisses down to that spot, oh, that spot on her neck that made her go crazy. No other man in her history had tried to find that spot, but he knew where it was, after all this time. He knew because he was the one who put it there in the first place. Her trigger that put her past the point of rational thought.

Bending her head down so he could nibble on her neck some more, Veronica found his muscular shoulder and wrapped her mouth around some skin and bit down gently. She heard him gasp at the pleasureful pain. She moved her lips, giving him little bites as she went.

He raised himself up on his haunches between her legs and pulled off his boxers. She finally got a full look at Logan as he was now. His fit form glistened with sweat. She trailed her eyes down his body, settling on his cock. His new, muscular body just accentuated his assets. She realized in that moment how…underdeveloped…her other lovers had been by comparison and she licked her lips in anticipation of feeling him inside of her. She watched as he reached for a condom and rolled it on.

Veronica spread her legs wider and he positioned himself between her hips, the head of his cock nudging into her wet pussy. Bringing himself on top of her again, their eyes locked and he slipped into her easily. She gasped as her body started to remember the feeling of him. Needing more, she bucked her hips upwards causing him to let out a groan and go deeper inside of her. He thrust one last time and he was all the way inside of her as she cried out. They stayed there for a moment, getting used to the feel of each other again. Then, they started to move, excruciatingly, slowly, taking time to enjoy the sensation of being locked together again.

It wasn’t long before Veronica came again, whimpering and crying his name. “I love you, Veronica.” He whispered to her. “I always will. Always.” And he came deep inside of her, pulsing and flexing, trying to keep control of himself and his emotions.

He rolled them together so they were on their sides together and eased himself out of her. Tears were streaming down her face freely now and she pressed herself against his chest to hide her emotions. “It’s okay. We’re here. We’re together now.” He soothed her and petted her hair for comfort.

She looked up at him and sniffled. “I thought about you every day for nine years. Nine years! I would search the crowds to see if you were in them. I dragged my girlfriends out to Fleet Week each year in the hopes that you would be one of the sailors on the streets. I would dream about you, still, after all this time.”

He pulled his arms around her again, holding her tightly. “I thought of you every day too. Mundane things would set it off. ‘Gee, Veronica would like this book I’m reading.’ Or ‘This lasagna isn’t as good as that one Veronica and I would get from Mama Leone’s.’ Every. Single. Day. You crossed my mind.”

She let out a hiccup laugh. “That’s the best thing I’ve ever heard.”

He shook his head. “I nearly died again when I saw you at the memorial service.”

She gasped. “We were right! You were at the service! Were you with the paparazzi?”

He kissed her forehead. “Yep. My plan was kind of awesome. They were all so focused on the death of me that they didn’t see the real me right next to them. And Weevil was right about the neck tattoos….everyone sees them and averts their eyes.”

“Weevil! That’s who helped you!”

“Yeah. We realized how much we had both changed when we saw each other at his grandmother’s funeral and kept in touch. He suggested that I get these crazy-expensive temporary tattoos. I shipped them to his house. And I got deep blue contacts, again to distract people from focusing on my features.”

“Mac found the charges for the tattoos on your credit card ‘Charlie Lester’.”

He sighed. “Yeah. I knew I left behind some clues, but I figured that Lamb wouldn’t look too deeply and the military, well, they don’t really dig that deep into these kinds of things.” He kissed the top of her head. “And I still can’t believe Dick called you to find me.”

“CRAP! DICK!!”

Veronica scrambled over Logan and hit the floor with a ‘thunk.’ She crawled on all fours, naked, to her purse.

Logan leaned over the edge of the bed. “That’s so fucking sexy…”

She decided to ignore his comment as she dug for her phone. She turned up the volume to her muted phone and saw ’10 new calls – Dick Cassablancas’. She chose his contact number and dialed as Logan walked passed her to the still-running shower.

“WHAT THE FUCK, RONNIE?!!”

“I’m sorry Dick.” She said as she watched Logan pull back the curtain and get in the stream of water. “We just had to…talk…before I called you.”

“Mac and I have been here thinking you guys died!”

“No. We are fine. Just getting on the same page.”

Dick sighed. “Okay. So what’s our next move.”

“We have to figure out a plan. Give us some time. We won’t come out until dark, so bare with us. Okay?”

“Fine. Mac and I will drink scotch and play video games until we hear from you.”

Logan, naked and wet, emerged from the shower, turned it off and walked past Veronica on his way to flopping himself on the bare mattress.

“Any message you want me to pass along?” She asked, eying Logan’s glistening form.

Dick though a moment. “Welcome back from the dead, fucker.”

Veronica laughed. “I’ll be sure to tell him. Talk to you later.”

She put her phone back in her purse and crawled up the end of the bed to lie on her back between the wall and Logan.

“What did Dick say?”

“‘Welcome back from the dead, fucker.’”

Logan laughed out loud and threw his arms over his face. “Oh, fuck. I’m glad he’s happy. When I realized you were back in town for my funeral, I thought that he actually believed I was dead.”

“No. He believed the note. That’s why he called me. Mac found out that you had withdrawn $50,000 from an offshore account and he called to see if I would track you down. Later, I found the credit card in your assumed name and we followed the billing from there.”

Logan turned on his side towards her, the water still glistening on his skin. “I used a lot of the cash to buy a bike and gear through Weevil. I also used it to get him to hire some thugs to push my car off a cliff in the dead of night. They thought that Weevil was intimidating someone, like back in the old days, so they had no problem giving him a hand for some money. He also got some new mattresses for the rooms in this place, some towels, a laptop and printer, all that stuff, so I could live here for a while. It’s been empty since Mrs. Navarro died and the family is slowly fixing it up to sell it one day.”

She rolled on her side to face him. Neither of them touched but their bodies lay perfectly parallel on the bed. “So. Are you going to tell me why you did all of this? And I’m hoping you don’t say it was some elaborate scheme to get me to come back into town.”

Logan’s eyes were dark and serious. “No. No, I am currently in hiding from someone trying to kill me. Correction: a group of people trying to kill me.”

Veronica sat up. “What? Who?”

Logan pulled himself up and sat against the wall. “Carrie, Gia, Luke, and Cobb. They are trying to kill me.”

Veronica’s mouth fell open. “Why? Because of Carrie? Why do they want to kill you?”

Logan opened his arms and Veronica came and pressed her body against his. He kissed her forehead and spoke. “Get comfortable. That’s a very long, twisted story.”


	11. There would be nothing rattling at my heels

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My toddler woke me up at 2:30 am to eat toast and watch TV. My loss of sleep is your gain! Enjoy this new chapter!!

Logan took a breath and let out a deep sigh, taking a moment to compose his thoughts. “Carrie and I have always had an on-again-off-again relationship. Partly because my tours of duty with the Navy took me away for long periods, and Carrie wasn’t strong enough to handle it. Partly because she would drift in and out of drug use.”

“I’ve been sober for about eight years – ever since I got my life together and joined the Navy. And Carrie was sober too, when we met and started dating. But then, I went away on a tour and came back to a very different Carrie.”

“I don’t remember Carrie doing drugs when we where in high school?” Veronica commented.

Logan shook his head. “No. It all started to spiral out of control for her when Susan Knight died.”

Veronica nodded. “Dick told me that she died in a boating accident and that Carrie was there.”

Logan closed his eyes. “Yeah. But what everyone doesn’t know is that it wasn’t an accident. She was murdered. She was murdered by Carrie, Gia, Luke, and Cobb.”

“What?”

“One of the last big blow-outs she and I had, I kept pushing her to tell me why she felt the need to fuck things up all the time with her drug use. That’s when she told me the story of how Susan really died that night.”

Veronica put her hand over Logan’s heart. “Tell me.” She said, quietly.

He took her hand and kissed it, placing it back on his chest. Then he began. “They all got really messed up on the drugs that Cobb brought to the party and, at some point, Susan passed out on the couch down below. Well, Carrie went to check on her and thought that she had stopped breathing. She started screaming and everyone came down to see Susan, lying pale and lifeless on the couch. They tried to revive her, but she wouldn’t wake up.”

“So, Cobb convinced them that they will all go to jail because Susan O.D.’d on their watch. They would take the fall. Everyone was still so fucked up that they believe him. So they decided to get rid of the body and say she must have jumped when no one was looking.”

Veronica met his eyes. “Dick told me that Susan’s baby was stillborn and she never got over it. Pretty messed up.”

“Yeah, well, this is even more messed up.” He said as he shifted uncomfortably. “Gia, Luke, Carrie, and Cobb dragged Susan upstairs, tied an anchor around her ankles, and tossed her into the water. Except….she came back up. She wasn’t dead and the cold water revived her and she was flailing and screaming for someone to help her.”

Veronica pulled back from him, covering her mouth. “I’m gonna be sick.”

“I know. It’s pretty gruesome.” Logan raised a hand to her cheek for comfort. “And we weren’t even there.”

Logan gave Veronica a moment to collect herself. When the colour returned to her face, he continued.

“Carrie told me that her fighting lasted for maybe a few seconds before Susan succumbed to the weight of the anchor and slid under the water for good. Before they could do or say anything, Cobb gunned the boat and they took off from the site.”

Veronica puts her face in her hands. “They wouldn’t have been charged with murder if she O.D.’d. If Cobb was the dealer, he would have gone down for it.”

“Exactly. And it gets worse. Cobb took pictures of what happened and has been blackmailing them ever since. Of course, none of the photos have him in them, just the others tying up Susan and dumping her body off the boat. Carrie has to give him 10% of her royalties as one of her ‘Managers’. Luke is always doing behind the scene deals for Cobb with land titles and the like. And Gia is…how do I put this…his sex slave; she has to put out for him whenever and however he wants.”

“Ugh. There is just so much that is terribly wrong about it all. So Carrie told you and now they want you dead?”

“Pretty much. A few days before I disappeared, Carrie showed up at the Beach House. She was sober and said she wanted to talk some more. She convinced me to come home with her to talk about what happened and discuss her going to rehab again. While we were talking upstairs, Cobb, Luke, and Gia showed up, not knowing that I was over. I snuck downstairs and overheard that Gia was trying to get her to slip a vile of GHB in my soda at some point in the next few days. They were going to drug me, and toss me under the Coronado Bridge to drown. Make it look like I jumped, just like my mom did. Except Carrie wouldn’t do it because she was sober and thinking for herself. So while she was arguing with them, I used my finely tuned Navy skills and escaped from a second-story window. By the time I walked home, I had a plan in place to fake my death so I could stay alive long enough to find some evidence to convict them of Susan’s murder.”

“Wow. I’m….just…wow.” Veronica was at a loss.

“I know. It’s a lot to take in. I also think that Cobb thought that I was going to leave all my money to Carrie because we were together, on and off, for almost five years.” Logan reached for Veronica and pulled her into an embrace.

“Who is your money going to, then, if I may ask?”

Logan laughed. “Dick. I’m his next-of-kin and rightful heir to the Cassablancas estate. And he is mine…along with a bunch of charities. I had to put someone down when I joined the Navy. Better him than no one.”

Veronica rolled her eyes. “The bromance continues. I think we need to come up with a plan, to bring Cobb to justice, then meet with your boyfriend Dick, and Mac too, and see how they can help.”

Logan glanced at the alarm clock that stood on an old dresser on the other side of the room. “It’s only 2:00 pm. We shouldn’t leave until after dark. Think it will take that long to come up with a plan?”

Veronica arched one eyebrow and swiftly threw one leg over him, trapping him under her again. “Well, we have a box of condoms, a plan to hatch, and nine years of our lives to catch up on. What do you think we should do first?”

Logan gave her a lecherous grin and nuzzled his beard into her neck. She squealed with delight.


	12. There are nights when all my aching bones won't let me sleep

Logan and Veronica pulled up to the beach house around 10:30 at night. The sun had set and Logan had taken the back routes on his motorcycle to get there. Veronica enjoyed wrapping her arms around him tightly, the entire ride, and was a little sad when she handed him her helmet at the end.

“Don’t worry.” He said reassuringly as he removed his own helmet. “I plan on keeping the bike long after this is done.”

She smiled up at him. He was in his full costume; piercing blue contacts, muscle shirt showing off his tattoos, black leather jacket and ripped jeans with biker boots. In addition to the unkempt hair and beard, it did make for an effective disguise.

As they walked to the door, Veronica fished out her key from her pocket. “I would have thought that Dick would be at the door welcoming us back, but he and Mac have probably passed out from one too many Scotches.”

When they walked through the door, all the lights were on. “Hi honey! I’m home!” Called Logan.

As they turned the corner, Veronica let out a gasp. Dick and Mac were sitting at the dining room table, hands flat on the top. Behind them, Cobb and Luke stood with guns to their two friends’ heads.

“Ah! You decided to join the land of the living again Logan! Come and sit with your friends at the table so we can talk.” Called Cobb. His back was against the large row of windows in the alcove.

Logan instinctually started to reach for the weapon hidden in his jacket. Cobb cocked his gun and pressed it to the back of Mac’s head. “I wouldn’t do that, Lieutenant Echolls! Drop your jacket on the couch, then have a seat with us.”

Veronica looked up at Logan. His eyes grew dark and his jaw set tight. She knew that look. It was the one he got before he tried to rip someone apart with his bare hands. Slowly, he removed the leather jacket and dropped it on the couch. He reached for Veronica’s hand and they both walked to the table. Logan took a seat at one of the heads of the table, Dick was across from him and Mac was to his right. Veronica sat across from Mac, who was by this point, shaking. She caught her friends eye and gave her a reassuring nod. Everyone had their hands on the table when Cobb started to walk around them.

“Will Carrie and Gia be joining us at this dinner party from hell, Cobb?” Logan questioned, trying to assess the situation.

“No. Your beloved Carrie is being watched by Gia. I do admit that hearing you were alive was a bit disturbing for Carrie, but Gia is handling her.”

Logan said nothing. He looked around the table and caught Dick’s eye. They gave a little nod, both understanding what needed to be done.

Cobb began to speak loudly. “You know, when Luke told me that Sherriff Lamb thought you may not be dead, I actually laughed out loud. I saw the wreckage myself. There was no way you could have survived. So Luke got Lamb to check your credit cards and bank accounts. They were frozen and there was nothing indicating you had bought a ticket out of town or anything like that.” He stopped behind Veronica and poked her shoulder with the tip of his gun. “But then, Veronica Mars showed up. At first I thought she was just the grieving, long lost ex-girlfriend. But something made me curious. So I hired Vinnie Van Lowe to follow her. And low and behold. He called me up saying he knew you were alive and, shall we say, kicking, to say the least.”

He reached into his pocket and produce his phone. After a moment of him fiddling with it, a sound file came scratching on. “Logan! Oh my god! Please! Please! Logan!” Came Veronica’s husky voice off in the distance. She turned a deep shade of red and averted her eyes from everyone.

“Dude! REALLY?” Dick smacked the top of the table.

Logan shrugged and flashed his best jackass grin. “What? It’s been nine years. We had A LOT of catching up to do.”

“SHUT UP! BOTH OF YOU!!” Bellowed Cobb. “If you’re a screamer, Veronica, you really shouldn’t have sex near open windows.”

“Well Cobb, women have a tendency of screaming your name when you don’t have to blackmail them into sleeping with you.” Logan mocked.

Cobb turned the gun on him. “Shut the fuck up! Don’t you care that you are going to die?”

Logan shrugged again. “Been dead already once this week. Kinda getting used to it.”

Cobb changed the direction of the gun to Victoria’s head. “What if I give you something worse than death. Why don’t I just keep you alive and blow Veronica’s pretty little brains all over you instead? Still think I’m funny now?”

Veronica locked eyes with Logan. She quietly prayed that he wouldn’t do anything stupid.

Suddenly, Dick flew backwards in his chair, pushing Luke off balance and pinning him to the wall. He stood to grab Luke's gun when a shot rang out. Cobb had pulled his trigger and shot Dick in the stomach. Mac screamed. Dick slumped to his knees and flopped to his side on the ground, clutching the wound. Logan pushed his chair back and stood up, but Cobb pointed his gun back at him. “SIT DOWN! SIT DOWN OR I WILL KILL YOU ALL RIGHT NOW, I SWEAR TO GOD!”

Logan’s eyes never left his friend, but he sat down, waiting for his next chance to strike. He knew that both Cobb and Luke were shaken, and he worked to keep control over his emotions. “If it’s money you want, I will give it to you, Cobb. If you want us all to forget what we know about the night Susan died, we will do that too. But just let me call an ambulance for Dick.”

Cobb laughed and stepped back so he could see the whole group. “No. He will die. Then you will die” He pointed his gun at Mac. “And then you will die.” He pointed his gun at Veronica. “And you will watch it all.” He pointed his gun at Logan. “Luke, get over here.”

Luke started to move slowly. He stepped over Dick’s body and walked to Cobb. He stood on his right, near the back door, twitching nervously and fidgeting his gun around in the air. “What do we do....” His words were interrupted by the breaking of glass and a gasp. A bullet ripped through the plate glass door and entered his chest. He dropped to his knees and fell forward.

Mac, Veronica, and Logan dove to the ground. Cobb began waving his gun wildly at the windows. Because of the light inside and the darkness outside, he couldn’t see through the panes. “WHAT THE FUCK? WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?”

Another bullet ripped through the glass and caught Cobb’s shoulder. He dropped his weapon at the impact and started to scream. A figure came through the door, a gun held up, leading the way.

“Carrie!” Gasped Logan, and he stood up but he was too late. Carrie took another step towards Cobb and took the kill shot to his head. Cobb’s body flew back onto the floor.

Her mission complete, Carrie lowered her gun. She looked at Logan with dead eyes. She was dressed all in black, her hair was wild and she had bruising on her face. Approaching him, she put her hand on his cheek. “Oh Logan. Thank you for trying to save me.” Tears sprang to her eyes and she placed the gun on the table. “I’m going to be with my true love, Susan, now. You should be with yours.” She looked at Veronica on the ground and smiled. She then turned and walked out the back door.

The silence was broken by a quiet sound. “Logan.”

Dick was turned towards the ceiling, his eyes open. He was gasping. Logan and Veronica lunged for him. Mac had regained her senses and quickly scrambled for the phone on the kitchen counter. “I’m calling for an ambulance!” She yelled.

Logan took off his shirt and pressed it to the wound. Veronica took Dick’s bloody hand and held it to her. “It’s gonna be okay, Dick. It’s okay. We’re here.” She said quietly.

Blood seeped from the corner of Dick’s mouth. He turned his head and it flowed out of his cheeks. “Logan.”

“I’m here. I’m here brother. We won’t leave you.”

Dick focused on his friend. “Do you think he’ll forgive me?”

Logan looked to Veronica. He was confused. “Who will forgive you, Dick.?”

Dick started to cough as he talked. His voice a whisper. “Cassidy. For not being a good big brother. For not protecting him.”

Tears sprung to Veronica's eyes. She turned her head away, still holding Dick’s hand. “Yeah. He’ll forgive you.”

“Okay. Good.” Dick said, closed his eyes for the last time.

Logan heard the sirens in the background. Mac was outside, waiving and yelling for them. But inside the house, everything went quiet.

 


	13. And demons come to plague me as I lie in bed

“Daddy?”

Keith Mars sat up straight in bed. He glanced at the clock. It was just after 2:00 am “I’m here, sweetheart. What’s wrong?” Alicia sat up next to him and turned on the lights. She knew that at cell phone ringing anytime after midnight couldn’t be good.

“Dick’s dead. And they’re going to take him away from me again.” Veronica sobbed into the phone.

“Who Veronica? Who are they taking away?” Keith rubbed his eyes to comprehend her words.

“Logan! I found him. And Lamb called the Military Police. And they’re coming to take him because he is AWOL. But he had to hide because they were trying to kill him. But they killed Dick. And then Carrie killed them. And then she walked into the ocean and killed herself. And it’s all so messed up, Dad.” Veronica rambled on almost incoherently.

“Veronica! Where are you? I’ll come and get you. It will be okay.” Keith jumped out of bed and started to get dressed with one hand. Alicia followed suit, getting herself together as well.

“The station. I just finished my statement. Please hurry. They won’t even let me see him.”

“I’m on my way.” Said Keith. He looked at Alicia, who was fully dressed next to him.

“WE are on our way.” She said and handed her husband his keys and wallet.

\----------------------------------

  
Keith and Alicia found Veronica sitting in the reception area chairs, waiting. She had blood all over her clothes and her face. She still had finger print ink on her fingers and her hair was pressed to her head with blood and sweat. He approached her carefully. “Veronica?” He called out quietly.

The sight of her father set off a new round of tears and she stood for a bear hug from her father. “Thank you for coming for me.” She sniffled.

“I will always come for you, no matter what.” He looked around a minute. Catching the eye of Deputy Sacks, he motioned for him.

The loyal deputy came over. “Mr. Mars.”

“Deputy Sacks, do you have anywhere Veronica and I can sit and talk privately?”

“NO! I don’t want to miss Logan if they come to take him!!” Veronica said loudly.

Deputy Sacks dipped his head closer to the group and lowered his voice. “Do you want to see him, Veronica?”

“Yes! Yes!” She whispered back to him.

“I can probably sneak you in to see him. He’s in handcuffs in one of the Interrogation Rooms. But only if Mr. Mars goes in with you so you aren’t alone with him. We’ve got his statement so we’re just waiting to transfer him to the Military Police. Sherriff Lamb went back to the crime scene.”

Keith nodded and looked at his wife. “I’ll stay here.” She smiled and patted Veronica’s back.

“Okay. Let’s go.” Keith said and the pair were led to the room.

When they opened the door, Logan had his head down in his hands, which were handcuffed at the wrists. When he looked up, he looked defeated. He had no shirt, just his leather jacket. He was smeared with blood on his hands and face. “Hey.” He managed.

Veronica started to move towards Logan when Keith caught her shoulder.

“No touching!” Snapped Sacks. “I’m gonna be in trouble enough as it is.” He said, and closed the door as he left them all alone.

Veronica moved to sit in the chair across from him. Keith took the chair next to her and sighed. “Hello Logan.”

He nodded. “Sir.”

“Heard you had a rough night.”

Logan looked at Veronica. “Yes. We have.”

“While I was outside, I overheard that Carrie’s body washed up on shore.” Veronica said quietly. Logan just nodded and looked at the table. “Carrie’s the one that saved us, Dad.” She looked at her father then back at Logan. “But what I don’t get is how she knew how to handle a gun like that.”

Logan looked up at her again. “A few years ago, she had a stalker that Lamb wouldn’t do anything about. He was starting to get threatening. So I started taking her to the firing range and she got a licence and bought a gun. She was a good shot. Didn’t actually think she would use it someday.”

Veronica nodded again. “I also saw Gia’s lawyer show up. She still uses the guy her dad used. I guess they found her locked in one of Carrie’s closets.”

Keith snorted and shook his head. He looked from Logan to Veronica and back again. “Now, I don’t have the whole story but it looks like you are both very lucky to be alive. And once again, you have both contributed greatly to my early aging.”

The two lovers looked at each other and bit their lips. “I guess some things never change, Mr. Mars, no matter how much we may try to run away from it.” Said Logan, and he smiled weakly at Veronica. Veronica reached her hand across and he reached out for her.

Just then, the door opened and two Military Police officers entered with Deputy Sacks. “Are you Lieutenant Logan Echolls?” They asked.

Logan gave Veronica one last look and stood up straight at attention. “Yes, I am Lieutenant Logan Echolls.”

“We are here to take you into custody. You are being charged with being absent from your duty and desertion from the United States Navy. Do you understand the charges, Lieutenant Echolls?

Logan looked at them and steadied himself. “Yes I do.”

“Come with us.” One of the officers said, and walked over to take Logan by the arm. As Logan passed her, Veronica reached out and touched his other arm.

“I love you.” She whispered

Logan stopped dead in his tracks, startling the officer attached to him. In one quick movement, he leaned his head down and kissed Veronica passionately on the lips, only to be snatched away by the other officer a second later. As he was led out the door, he couldn’t help the boyish grin that came across his mouth.

Once Logan had left, Veronica was rooted to her spot. Deputy Sacks came over to her and put his hand on her arm. “I gotta kick you guys out. Lamb is on his way back.”

Keith took Veronica by the shoulders and guided her out to where Alicia wad waiting for them. She jumped up with excitement. “I just saw them take Logan. But he was smiling? What’s going on?”

Veronica looked at her step-mom and gave her a small smile. “I told him that I loved him as he was leaving.” She said quietly.

Alicia grinned and wrapped her arms around her step-daughter. “And it’s about time too!”

Keith kept his mouth shut. He knew enough about women to know that anything he said would get him in trouble. 


	14. But I know if you were sleeping there beside me then

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be wrapping things up with an "Epilogue" after this chapter. We do jump ahead in time from the last chapter in this one.
> 
> I wanted to make sure I gave credit to the song I have been using for the title of the work and some of the chapter titles. "The Ghosts That Haunt Me" is by the Crash Test Dummies (1991). When I started thinking about this story, this song kept rolling around in my head as my 'background music' so to speak.

 

**_One month later…._ **

“Remind me again how you roped me into this?” Said Wallace as he passed Veronica a box.

Veronica took the box and stacked it on one of the many other boxes in her father’s spare room. “Ummmm….because you’re my brother now, that’s why.” She said loudly as Wallace crossed the house to get another box from Keith at the front door.

The moving truck with all of Veronica’s worldly possessions had arrived late that morning, and from the crashing and tinkling sounds Veronica heard as she stacked the cardboard cubes, she figured that not a lot of care was taken when Piz threw her things into each box.

Veronica had Fed/Ex’d the engagement ring to Piz the same day she went for her first visit with Logan in the San Diego military prison. A hastily scrawled note indicating where to send her stuff, and a bank draft for $1,000 to cover expenses had accompanied it.

In a strange twist of fate, the delivery of all her things from New York coincided with Logan’s Military Court Martial that morning, an event he insisted he did not want her to witness but promised to get word to her when it was over. Set for 09:00 hours, the moving helped Veronica wear off some of her nervous energy as she waited for news.

And so, one at a time, Veronica played Tetris with her life, piling the boxes against an empty wall in her temporary home with her dad and her step-mom.

“I’m just saying, that you missed many of my moves and now, I am helping you move…” Started Wallace again.

Veronica rolled her eyes. “YES! The next time you move to a grown-up house and not a bachelor apartment, I will be happy to help you move the three things you own.”

“Harsh, sister. You are harsh.” He teased, and went out for another box.

She stopped and stared at the wall of boxes. Somewhere in there were all her textbooks for the New York Bar Exam. And her notes. So much for being a high powered, New York city lawyer. She sighed. “Now what?” She said out loud.

“You can start with taking this box.” Came a voice from behind her. “It’s really heavy.”

She turned to see Logan holding a box close to his body. She grabbed it and flung it to the ground with a crash, then jumped into his arms, wrapping herself around him. His smooth face pressed against her and she buried her head in his neck, taking in the scent of him. They stayed like this, cradled to each other, for a long time.

Behind them, Alicia shooed the agitated Keith and Wallace out of the house and onto the front porch, promising them both cold beers to leave the “kids” alone.

Slowly, Veroinca pulled herself back and climbed off of Logan. She reached up on her toes and gave him a soft kiss on his mouth. He put his forehead to hers. “What happened?” She asked quietly.

He sighed and wrapped his arms around her. “They took the ‘unusual’ circumstances into consideration, but I have officially been given a ‘Dishonorable Discharge’ from the Navy. They also took my custody for the last month as time served, and they have fined me $500,000. All of which is a slap on the wrist considering what could have happened.” He kissed the top of her head. “The good news is, that they are helping me reclaim my identity pretty quickly because I told them I can’t access any of my money to pay the fine until I am pronounced ‘un-dead’ or whatever it is.”

“So that’s it?”

“Yep. That’s it – the end of my illustrious military career. Thankfully, I stashed all that cash in Mrs. Navarro’s house, so I have some money to live on, and a place to stay, until it is all rectified. Unless of course, Vinnie went back, broke in and found it. Then that means I’m sleeping on Weevil’s couch.”

Veronica shifted so she could look up at her boyfriend. “The cleaners I hired are almost done with the Beach House. I don’t know if you want to actually stay there….I mean…it’s yours….technically…Dick’s lawyer has started probating his will.”

Logan nodded against her head. “Is he here?” He asked quietly.

Veronica left his embrace and moved to the desk in the room. She opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a small brown cardboard box. Holding it gently with two hands, she brought it over to him. He took it reverently and held it in front of his face. “Alas poor Richard, I knew him…a man of infinite jest and fun.” Veronica shook her head. “What! Dick would have loved that. He probably would have wanted me to draw some sort of face on the box too, with a Sharpie marker.” He handed the ashes back to Veronica and she placed them carefully in the drawer again. 

“What are we going to do with him? He can’t stay in my dad’s desk forever.”

“I have some ideas. Maybe we can talk about it a bit. Along with a lot of other things.” He said with a boyish smile.

Veronica’s dreams now featured a bearded Logan. The clean shaven, hair brush-cut, Logan that stood before her was more like the boy she once knew. When she stepped back, she realized he was in a plain Haines packaged t-shirt, non-descript blue jeans, and the ugliest white runners she had ever seen. He noticed her looking him up and down. “Military issue civilian clothing. Circa 1987.” He explained. “I’ve been in a prison uniform for the past month. However, they did give me back my stained biker clothes in an old military bag. It’s in your living room right now.”

Just then, Alicia appeared just behind Logan. “Veronica, Logan, lunch is ready. Come out on the porch and have something to eat. You both must be famished.” She said and touched Logan’s shoulder gently.

He turned to Alicia. “Thank you, Mrs. Mars. Prison food is terrible.”

She laughed. “Then make sure you don’t go back!” She teased. “And please call me Alicia.”

Logan stiffened and nodded, the military still deep inside of him. “Thank you, Alicia. I’ll try and stay out of trouble.”

“I’m sure you will.” She said with a giggle, knowing it was not true, and walked down the hallway to the kitchen again.

Logan reached out his hand to Veronica. She took it and he frowned. “What’s wrong?” She said.

“I’ve already been through one military tribunal today. Think the crowd on the porch will be any easier?” He asked.

“Yes. But not by much.” She said, and kissed him on the cheek before dragging him through the house and outside.

 --------------------------------

  
The sunrise seemed extra spectacular that morning as Veronica watched Logan in his full wet-suit paddle his new surfboard out into the ocean. There was still a chill in the air and she hugged her jacket close to her and pulled her knees up to her chest. Once the water calmed, Logan came up from his stomach, pulling out the cardboard box he held between his body and the board. He held up his hand to test the wind direction, and then bent his head, talking to the box. He opened the lid and scattered the ashes into the wind. They whipped in a line across the water for a second and then vanished, becoming a part of the sky. He then collapsed the box so it was flat and paddled back to shore.

Veronica rose from her place on the sand and grabbed the big thermal blanket she brought to sit on. She met Logan half-way down the beach. He slammed his board into the sand and dropped the box at his feet. She lovingly wrapped the blanket around them both, and they cried together, until they couldn’t cry any more. Then, hand in hand, they walked past the beach house and to Logan’s SUV and drove home.

  
By the time they got back to Mrs. Navarro’s house, the clouds had started to roll in and the smell of rain hung in the air. Veronica opened the front door while Logan got out his surfboard. She went in and he followed behind her, dropping it across the old couch and locking the door. They both headed upstairs quietly, but parted at the top of the stairs. Logan started the shower and pealed off his wetsuit to wash the ocean off himself. Veronica walked to the main bedroom. At the foot of the big queen bed, she stripped down to her panties and climbed under the old quilt that lay across it.

Since Veronica joined him in the house, they had moved him from the sparse spare room into the big bedroom with the beautiful iron bed frame and old wood furniture. They spent their days quietly cleaning and rearranging things, both of them taking time to hide from their real-world problems.

The rain came faster now, and Veronica lay on her back, looking up at the roof and listening to the beautiful waterfall sound it created. Logan walked in wearing a towel around his waist. He dropped it on the floor and crawled into bed with her. He wrapped herself around him.

He kissed her forehead. “It’s time.” He said.

She furrowed her brow. “For what?”

He looked her in the eye. “To decide what we do next.”

Veronica was quiet. She knew he was right. Dick was gone. They were alive. They just needed to join the living again. “I have been thinking about it you know.”

He smiled. “Good. So have I.”

“Are you sure you want to take this step?”

He took her hand off the top of the quilt and kissed her knuckles. “I can’t wait to be your partner.”

“So when are you going to talk to my dad?”

He shrugged. “I could go now...”

She grabbed him and climbed on top of him, letting the covers fall off them both. “Don’t you dare!” She said and kissed him passionately. That was the last they spoke of the matter for the next hour.

 ----------------------------------------

Alicia was shocked to find Logan on her doorstep that afternoon. “Logan! What a surprise! How nice to see you!” She said and gave him a warm hug.

Logan smiled stiffly, he was standing at attention and didn’t soften when he was embraced. “Ummm...Alicia....is Mr. Mars at home?”

Alicia furrowed her brown for a moment, then went back to smiling. “Yes. He’s in his office, writing. Would you like to talk to him?”

“Yes. Yes, I would.” Logan still didn’t move.

She gently put a hand on his arm. She felt him shake a bit. “Come and sit at the table and I’ll get him for you.”

Logan nodded and entered the house, making a beeline for the table, and sat down as he was told.

“I’ll get Keith for you.” Alicia said and disappeared down the hallway and into Keith’s office.

She knocked gently and entered before being asked in. She closed the door behind her. “Keith.” She whispered. “Logan is here to see you.”

Keith turned from his desk to his wife. “Why are you whispering?” He hissed.

“Because he’s really nervous about something and I want you to go easy on him. Put away your Sheriff hat, okay?”

Keith pushed his chair back with a huff. “Well, let’s see what he wants to talk about first.” He whispered back at his wife as he passed her and exited the room.

Logan was still sitting at the table, but rose and offered his hand to shake when Keith entered the room. “Mr. Mars.” He said.

Keith frowned and shook his hand. “Logan. What brings you over today?” He said and took a seat across from him.

Logan sat and folded his hands in front of him. He noticed that Alicia stood just out of sight in the hallway. “I’ll cut to the chase, sir. I have a proposal.”

Keith’s head started screaming. _Oh my god, he’s going to ask Veronica to marry him!! He can’t do that! She just got out of one engagement! They haven’t seen each other in nine years. She threw her life away for his man and now he wants her forever?! Over my dead...._

“And I thought that a reasonable amount to offer you would be $250,000. But that’s negotiable. Completely.”

“ARE YOU OFFERING ME MONEY TO MARRY VERONICA?!” He bellowed, standing up and pushing over his chair.

Logan jumped back like a frightened dog. “I....what?...NO! I?? Marry??”

Alicia jumped in and grabbed her husband by the shoulders. “Keith? Have you listened to anything Logan just said? He is offering you money to buy MARS INVESTIGATIONS for him and Veronica.”

“We’re going to be partners.” Logan said quietly. His eyes were wide with fear. “She’s going to take the Bar in California and I’m going to get my P.I. license. We want to work together, but using the business name 'Mars Investigations'."

There was an awkward silence as Keith processed his mistake. After a few moments, he cleared his throat. “Ummm...I’m sorry Logan. I heard the word ‘proposal’ and I may have stopped listening.” He looked at his wife for help. She had her arms folded and she was scowling at him.

“You don’t have to worry, Mr. Mars, I know how Veronica really feels about marriage. I think ‘partners’ is as much as you have to worry about with us.” Logan avoided eye contact with Keith.

“Well, what about this business proposal then? Why buy Mars Investigations? Why not start your own business?”

“Well sir, Mars Investigations still carries a lot of good word-of-mouth in Neptune. Plus, we would buy all your equipment so we could get started. We are going to hire Mac and sink a lot of money doing cyber-investigations, and with my training in the military, I think I could transfer a lot of those skills to on-the-ground investigating.” He finally looked Keith in the eyes. “This is what Veronica loves doing. Truth be told, I like it too. And this way, Veronica can do what she loves, AND I can keep an eye on her...maybe keep her out of trouble...”

Keith started to laugh. “You know son, NO ONE can keep my daughter from finding trouble.” He sighed. “But at least, with you on board, she’ll have back-up she can count on when she does get into it.”

Logan looked from Alicia to Keith. “Does that mean I can get my lawyer to draw up some papers?”

Keith nodded in approval. “Yes. But let’s talk this out a bit more. I’m going to get some paper so I can take some notes.” And he got up and went to his office to retrieve things.

When her husband was gone, Alicia got up and put her hand on Logan’s shoulder. “I’m going to get us some coffee.” She said loudly, so Keith could hear. And then she whispered in Logan’s ear. “Don’t worry. I’m sure that one day she’ll change her mind about marriage.” And gave the young man a wink as she disappeared into the kitchen.

When Keith got back, Logan was sitting there, grinning like an idiot. “Well, Logan.” He said. “I’m glad you are happy with this deal.”

“More than you could ever imagine, Mr. Mars.”


	15. That you could fend them off and they could let me rest

**EPILOGUE**

Moving day was executed with military precision – which is what happens when you put an ex-Navy pilot in charge of the process. Several months prior, Logan had purchased a beautiful brick warehouse in an up-and-coming part of town. He quickly set about rezoning to suit their purposes. The main floor already housed a small coffee house, a small organic grocery store, and Logan added on a secured garage in an empty bay for his cars, and Dick’s beloved Hummer. The second floor was walled and converted to offices, with Mars Investigations taking up a large space looking out of the front of the building. The top floor was completely transformed into a sprawling loft space for Logan and Veronica to live.

Just after they completed the deal to buy Mars Investigations, Veronica learned that she could take the California Bar exam six months later and quickly set about gathering the materials she needed and studying around the clock. Her new schedule worked fine with Logan’s crazy new schedule of meeting with contractors and lawyers, shopping for fixtures and furniture with Alicia, and studying with Keith for his P.I. License exam. They lived sparingly in Mrs. Navarro’s house, leaving most of their possessions in boxes in anticipation of the big move. Once a week, they were visited by their “landlord” Weevil who would tinker around with the house, stay for dinner, and go out for a ride with Logan on their bikes down the P.C.H.. At night, her and Logan would talk or make love or just lay quietly together until they fell asleep.

When Veronica and Keith pulled up to the building that day, Logan was standing outside the main doors to the second floor office space, coordinating the office furniture being moved. He had a clip board in his hand, and he wore lose jeans, a plain white t-shirt, his biker boots, and leather jacket, having rode his bike there in the morning. Veronica approached him and smiled. He kissed her on the cheek. “Do you have the invoice from the box moving company?” He asked.

She stepped back, saluted, and handed him a piece of yellow paper from her pocket. He took out his clipboard and clipped it to the other papers. “What time did they say they would be here?”

“ONE OH CLOCK, SIR!” And yelled at Logan as she saluted again.

He frowned. “That’s actually 13:00 hours. You’d make a lousy enlisted sailor.”

She shrugged and stood on her tip toes to kiss him and whispered close to his ear. “What if I want you to order me around later?” She purred.

He arched his eyebrow and was about to respond when he remembered her father was with them. “You and your dad are stationed up in the office, making sure the guys who are setting things up are putting everything where it should.” He looked through his clip board and found a piece of paper. “This is where everything goes.” He said and handed it to Veronica. She looked at it and shoved it in her pocket in a ball.

“Yeah. I’ll use that. Come on, Dad. Let’s go see what Logan and Alicia bought and try to make it work.” She turned away from walk away and Logan, seeing his opportunity, smacked her on the ass with the back of his clip board. She squealed and hustled to the door, turning briefly and sticking her tongue out at him as she went.

Logan was still admiring the view when Keith cleared his throat. “Ummm....when you and my daughter are done flirting, would you mind pointing me in the direction of my wife?”

Logan blushed and looked down at his clipboard. “She’s in our loft, coordinating the incoming furniture. If you want to take the easy way up, you can go around the back of the building and take the service elevator they are using.”

Keith nodded. “Thanks Logan. I’ll join Veronica in the office when I’m done.” And disappeared around the corner.

Seconds after Keith disappeared, Mac pulled up in her car with Wallace. She jumped out and rushed to Logan. “Never tell a tech geek to get whatever she needs.” She said and handed him a five-page receipt for her computer equipment.

Wallace popped the hatch on her car and started pulling out boxes. “Why do you girls always call me when you need me to move your shit?!” He complained.

Mac rolled her eyes and grabbed a box. “Logan’s feeding you beer and Mama Leone’s take-out later. I know you are used to Raman noodles for dinner, but try and cope.”

Logan laughed. “I got them to build your desk first Mac, so you can start setting up your computers right now, if you want. You’ve the back office near the meeting room.”

Mac did a little happy dance on the sidewalk. She then grabbed as many boxes as she could handle and stepped in front of Wallace. “Follow me! This is going to be so much fun!”

Wallace groaned. “I never said I would help you set them up!!” He yelled and followed her up the stairs.

The entire move went exactly as planned. Weevil showed up later, driving Logan’s SUV, with the meagre contents that Logan and Veronica left behind at Mrs. Navarro’s. And knowing there was food to be had, Veronica’s other step brother, Darrell surprised his step-sister by stopping by after his classes at Hearst to ‘help’ with the move.

So what started out as take-out dinner after the move, quickly turned into a housewarming party for Logan and Veronica. Logan even ran out and got champagne and sparking cider, so they could properly christen the building. After one too many glasses of bubbly, Keith stood on the oak coffee table and waved his hands to Wallace to have him turn down the music. Veronica saw what he was going to do and looked for Alicia.

“Can I have everyone’s attention? WALLACE! Shut off this racket you call music!” The music suddenly stopped. Logan came up and took Veronica’s arm, bracing himself.

“As you all know, my daughter is a woman who knows her mind. When she gets it in her head, there is no stopping her.” He paused to drink more champagne. “Well, when she was 12 years old, I picked her up from soccer practice and all she was talking about was this new kid named Logan. Logan Logan Logan Logan.”

Veronica closed her eyes. This was not happening.

“And she carried on like this for several years. Logan and her did this with Lily and Duncan, Logan and her did that. On and on and on....”

Veronica opened her eyes and everyone was staring at her. Except Logan, who was staring with his mouth open at Keith.

“And the tears, oh the tears when Logan and Lily started dating. But then, a little while later it was Logan and Veronica again. And even though they may be too pig-headed to admit it, it’s been that way since.” Keith got quieter. “Veronica knew who she was meant to be with at the age of 12. If only we could all be so lucky to meet our soul-mates then” He looked lovingly at Alicia. “Veronica, honey, I have always been proud of you and your accomplishments. And I’m so glad you never gave up on your heart.” He wiped his face with his hand to hide his emotions. “To Veronica and Logan! Don’t screw this up son!” He laughed and finished his drink.

Everyone raised their glasses to the couple, who were dumbfounded by what just happened.

Alicia spoke up. “Okay everyone! Party is over! Let’s leave the happy couple alone!” And she offered Keith her hand to climb down from the table.

Once the goodbyes were said, and the cabs were called, Logan locked the main doors, came upstairs and locked the elevator. He found Veronica scurrying around, cleaning up. He walked over to her, as she bent over to pick up some paper plates off the ground, and wrapped his arms around her from behind. “You know, I’ve said it before....those knee socks you were wearing the first time we met were really hot!” And he kissed her neck.

Veronica groaned and stood up, keeping her back cradled to him. “See. This is why I don’t like weddings. People just stand up and embarrass you.”

Logan laughed. “Today did feel sort of momentous, didn’t it. Not quiet a wedding...”

She turned around in his arms and pressed her face to his chest. “Not quite...but maybe one day...”

He kissed her crown and leaned his chin on her. “I would marry you tomorrow, Veronica Mars.”

She hugged him tightly and closed her eyes, enjoying the closeness. “Maybe. Someday.”

They were silent for a moment before Veronica spoke. “So to summarize, we have both been in love with each other since we were 12 and it took us until we were 29 to get it together enough to be with each other.”

Logan pulled back and looked at her. “You need to stop focusing on the time we were apart. Do you really think that jackass Logan and stubborn Veronica could have made it this far? Because I don’t. You leaving me was the best thing that could have happened. It made me grow up – find direction, learn how to take care of myself. And you...” She furrowed her brow at him. “Well, you needed to see what other people’s ‘normal’ was like before you realized that you make your own ‘normal’.” He waved his arms to show off the vast expanse of their home. “And this, is our normal.”

She looked around. There were still boxes and cardboard scattered around the loft. She thought about all the work that still need to happen to get Mars Investigations up and running; the hours of studying she needed to do before the Bar exam; and Logan would be there with her for all of it. Tears welled up in her eyes. She turned to him and reached up to kiss him softly.

“I love you so much.” She said into his beautiful brown eyes.

“I love you too.” He said and lifted her swiftly off her feet. He quietly carried her to their new bed, in their new home, and their new life, where they made love for the rest of the night.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is the end! Thanks everyone for reading and leaving kudos/comments.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [(Cover) Send Away the Ghosts That Haunt Me Now by EllieBear](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11200047) by [AlinaSorokina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlinaSorokina/pseuds/AlinaSorokina)




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